Davenport Public Library's Reference Blog

Month: April 2014

Entertain at home with ease, whipping up a delectable spread of pre-dinner treats, or simply transform a weeknight into a happy hour that rivals that of the swankiest bar.

Bringing the party home with drinks and snacks just got easier – even the amateur mixologist will be shaking and stirring in no time. Happy Hour at Home boasts sure-to-please classics like the Manhattans and mojitos, along with more inventive twists like Watermelon Cosmos and Kimchi Bloody Marys. The book also includes 90 recipes for a host of delicious treats, from Spanish tapas to American bar classics like sliders and oven-baked fries, to French and Italian-inspired flatbreads and olives that pair perfectly with cocktails for the ultimate at-home happy hour. (description from publisher)

The form is so elemental, so basic, that we have difficulty imagining a time before it existed: a single set, fixed cameras, canned laughter, zany sidekicks, quirky family antics. Obsessively watched and critically ignored, sitcoms were a distraction, a gentle lullaby of a kinder, gentler America–until suddenly the artificial boundary between the world and television entertainment collapsed.

In Sitcom: a History in 24 Episodes we can watch the growth of the sitcom, following the path that leads from Lucy to The Phil Silvers Show; from The Dick Van Dyke Show to The Mary Tyler Moore Show; from M*A*S*H to Taxi; from Cheers to Roseanne; from Seinfeld to Curb Your Enthusiasm; and from The Larry Sanders Show to 30 Rock.

In twenty-four episodes, Sitcomsurveys the history of the form, and functions as both a TV mixtape of fondly remembered shows that will guide us to notable series and larger trends, and a carefully curated guided tour through the history of one of our most treasured art forms. (description from publisher)

Grain Power makes it simple to include a variety of delicious gluten-free ancient grains in your everyday meals. Ancient grains are ideal for people with food allergies or gluten intolerances and for those looking for delicious, nutrient-rich grains for a healthy lifestyle. Packed with lots of variety and unique flavors, these recipes feature the popular gluten-free ancient grains amaranth, buckwheat, chia, kaniwa, quinoa, millet, oats, sorghum, and teff.

Grain Power is a complete cookbook featuring everything you need to know about cooking these ancient grains, as well as combining them into unique superblends. (description from publisher)

Even as pork prices rise and the economy fluctuates, consumption of bacon remains steady. The American Meat Institute reports that bacon has an almost cult-like following; the Facebook page About Bacon has more than 10 million Likes. Its sublime savory taste has been endorsed by scientists as well: bacon boasts umami, the seductive “fifth taste” that heightens and rises beyond sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Bacon isn’t just an infatuation–it’s a way of life.

In Bacon 24/7, author Theresa Gilliam and photographer E Jane Armstrong have teamed up to create a fun and current cookbook to feed the need for bacon. They include recipes for every hour, from dawn through dark, as well as info on topics such as how to cure and smoke your own bacon. Drool-worthy photographs highlight dishes such as Pasta Carbonara, Pork Belly Hash with Kale and Sweet Potatoes, and Apple Pie with Bacon Strudel.

Any evening that begins with a Bacon-Infused Manhattan holds the promise of being an unforgettable night. (description from publisher)

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey has enjoyed high ratings since its March premiere and much of that credit goes to its charismatic presenter, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson, a renowned astrophysicist and director of the Harden Planetarium in New York, has been a major player in the astronomy and physics fields for years. He has written books that are described as witty and insightful, and concepts are explained in layman’s terms, no advanced knowledge of science required! If you’re one of the many people who are watching Cosmos and want to know more about our universe, check out some of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s books at the Davenport Public Library:

Space Chronicles: An exciting book about space travel and the potential benefits of space exploration. Tyson discusses NASA’s space program and the countries competing in the continuing “space race” to pioneer the future of space travel. As always, Tyson advocates for science literacy in the classroom and makes sure to thoroughly explain his subjects.

Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries: more than 20of Tyson’s essays fromhis”Universe” column in Natural History magazine, each exploring a different cosmic topic. These topics are what he considers “the Best of the Universe” and range from the colors of the universe to why Hollywood can’t seem to get their space movies accurate (see his Twitter critique of the movie Gravity here).

The Pluto Files: As director of the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson made the decision not to include Pluto on the planet exhibits, and when the planetarium opened to the public in 2000 the missing planet caused an uproar. The decision sparked outrage among schoolchildren (many of whom sent written hate mail to Tyson) and started an international debate among the International Astronomical Union who, after years of deliberating, voted to officially demote Pluto in August of 2006. In this book Tyson describes the history of the planet from its discovery to its demotion.

Origins: This book details the origins of the universe from the first 3 seconds after the Big Bang to the formation of galaxies, planets and stars. He explains the current theory on the beginning of life and describes the search for life in other solar systems. Though this book delves deeper in to the physics of the universe, Tyson, as usual, does a great job of explaining these concepts to non-scientists.

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings consistently tops polls as the best-loved literary work of all time. Now in The Making of Middle Earth, medieval scholar and Tolkien expert Christopher Snyder presents the most in-depth exploration yet of Tolkien’s source materials for Middle-earth – from the languages, poetry, and mythology of medieval Europe and ancient Greece to the halls of Oxford and the battlefields of World War I.

Fueled by the author’s passion for all things Tolkien, this richly illustrated book also reveals the surprisingly pervasive influence of Tolkien’s timeless fantasies on modern culture. (description from publisher)

In 1945 Major League Baseball had become a ghost of itself. Parks were half empty, the balls were made with fake rubber, and mediocre replacements roamed the fields, as hundreds of players, including the game’s biggest stars, were serving abroad, devoted to unconditional Allied victory in World War II. But by the spring of 1946, the country was ready to heal. The war was finally over, and as America’s fathers and brothers were coming home, so too were the sport’s greats. Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Joe DiMaggio returned with bats blazing, making the season a true classic that ended in a thrilling seven-game World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals.

America also witnessed the beginning of a new era in baseball-it was a year of attendance records, the first year Yankee Stadium held night games, the last year the Green Monster wasn’t green, and, most significant, Jackie Robinson’s first year playing in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ system. The Victory Season brings to vivid life these years of baseball and war, including the little known “World Series” that servicemen played in a captured Hitler Youth stadium in the fall of 1945. Robert Weintraub’s extensive research and vibrant storytelling enliven the legendary season that embodies what we now think of as the game’s golden era. (description from publisher)

The Davenport Public Library will be closed on Friday April 18 in observance of Good Friday. All of our locations – Main, Fairmount and Eastern – will reopen regular business hours on Saturday, 9am to 5:30pm.

No matter where you live, you can have farmstead fresh eggs! From the cities to the suburbs, backyards are filled with the sounds of clucking like never before as more people invest in having a closer connection to the food they eat and discover the rewards (and challenges) of raising chickens and cultivating their own fresh eggs.

Whether you’ve embraced the local food movement or just love that farm-fresh flavor, The Farmstead Egg Guide and Cookbook is the perfect book for you and your flock. Inside, you’ll find expert advice on caring for your chickens, along with 100 delicious and diverse recipes. You’ll notice a difference in your scrambled eggs, omelets, and quiches, as well as in savory and sweet soufflés, tarts, puddings, and pies. With The Farmstead Egg Guide and Cookbook, you’ll never run out of delectable ways to enjoy your eggs for any meal of the day. This book will inspire you so that you to have the freshest and best eggs on your table and, if you’re game, the experience of keeping hens in your backyard. (description from publisher)

Born in 1916 in Norfolk, Mollie Moran is one of the few people still alive today who can recall working “downstairs” in the golden years of the early 1930’s before the outbreak of WWII. She provides a rare and fascinating insight into a world that has long since vanished in Minding the Manor: the Memoir of a 1930s English Kitchen Maid.

Mollie left school at age fourteen and became a scullery maid for a wealthy gentleman with a mansion house in London’s Knighsbridge and a Tudor manor in Norfolk. Even though Mollie’s days were long and grueling and included endless tasks, such as polishing doorknobs, scrubbing steps, and helping with all of the food prep in the kitchen, she enjoyed her freedom and had a rich life. Like any bright-eyed teenager, Mollie also spent her days daydreaming about boys, dresses, and dances. She became fast friends with the kitchen maid Flo, dated a sweet farmhand, and became secretly involved with a brooding, temperamental footman. Molly eventually rose to kitchen maid for Lord Islington and then cook for the Earl of Leicester’s niece at the magnificent Wallington Hall. (description from publisher)

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The Info Cafe is the blog of the Davenport (Iowa) Public Library reference department. We love connecting people with books (and movies and information) so if you love books (or movies or information) you've found your tribe!